If we spent the money on bike/walk infrastructure and eliminating
barriers to daily exercise (making it safe to walk from the far end
of parking lots, keeping stairs accessible, etc.) we could lower
heart disease risk AND prevent diabetes and obesity, and probably
keep people mentally sharper, without putting everyone on expensive
statins. For the cost of a year on a statin, you can buy a nice
bike and keep yourself not only healthier but also looking better..

Greg Carrick MS RPh

02/29/12

Just the tip of the iceberg. This is the most dangerous class of drugs we have and
after all of these years of study, they still have not shown cholesterol levels to be
anything more than a marker of normal body function. There are literally millions
of patients living with life altering side effects who will not live one day longer
due to these dangerous drugs. Now that you know to look for these side effects
will you reassess all your newly diagnosed type 2 diabeticS? How about all those
Nemenda Patient? Too bad they didn't mention the transient amnesia or tendon
problems. If they can cause memory loss, what other mental problems do they
cause? Maybe you should evaluate all those newly prescribed anti depressents
and cronic pain meds.
Pharmacist whose life was ruined by lipitor.

Beverly Richards-Smith, PhD

02/29/12

Statins are
dangerous drugs
whose only positive
effect - and this
only for a subgroup
of statins - can be
achieved far more
safely through the
use of
anti-inflammatory
medicines. Statins
are popular with
physicians because
they produce an
easily measured
result: reduction of
serum cholesterol.
Cholesterol does not
cause cardiovascular
disease, and
lowering it does not
prevent CVD.
Inflammation
increasingly is
being shown to be
the base cause of
CVD and many other
diseases of Western
culture. Increasing
one's intake of
omega-3 fatty acids
(walnuts are an
exceptionally good
source),
antioxidants
(available as
supplements and in
brightly colored
fruits and
vegetables) and
vitamin D3 and
decreasing
consumption of red
meat and refined
carbohydrates will
help to reduce
inflammation. If the
statin pushers are
required to disclose
the risk of
developing diabetes
and cognitive/memory
deficits in their TV
and magazine
advertisements,
perhaps people will
start questioning
the automatic
prescription of
these poisons for
"elevated"
cholesterol..

carol houde

02/29/12

This stuff gets
passed out like
candy. I would NOT
be surprised if more
problems emerge
going forward.
Ironically, many
patients with Type
II diabetes take
statins. I am
puzzled about the
reverse stand on
liver monitoring.
Better usage
guidelines are
needed. Not EVERYONE
with a higher than
normal cholesterol
needs statins..

Internist8

02/29/12

Oh, where do I
start.... Statins
work for primary and
secondary
prevention. just
look at the data. I
agree, not everyone
needs them.
As far as &amp;quot;For
the
cost of a year on a
statin, you can buy
a nice bike and keep
yourself not only
healthier but also
looking
better.&amp;quot;
Well, for $40 I
can't imagine your
bike would be very
nice. Pravastatin
is $40 a year at
Walmart..

belle

02/29/12

A friend and his
father both
developed type 2
diabetes shortly
after starting
statin therapy, my
friend in his 40s
and his Dad in his
60s; there was no
family history of
diabetes, although
the father was one
of 12 children in
his family. Of
course, once my
friend was diagnosed
with diabetes, his
doctors became more
obsessed with his
cholesterol levels
and insisted that he
remain on the
statin. In addition
to the diabetes, and
preceding it in
onset, he developed
excruciating muscle
pains that have not
diminished in the
years since he told
his doctors what
they could do with
their poison. This
man will suffer for
the rest of his
(probably shortened)
life because of
these drugs. How
many other statin
victims are there
who are either
unaware that their
problems were caused
by the drugs or are
so terrified that
high cholesterol is
a death sentence
that they'll
continue taking the
drugs, no matter
what damage they
suffer as a
consequence?.

MedicineBear

02/29/12

Once again, a drug BENEFIT is OVEREXAGGERATED and RISK is
UNDERSTATED. To expand on the NNT mentioned in another
comment . . . The number needed to treat (NNT) is the number of
patients that need to be treated for ONE patient to benefit. The
ideal NNT
is 1, where everyone improves with treatment and no one improves
with control. The higher the NNT, the less effective is the
treatment. The NNT for a statin is 100 -- meaning ONE will benefit
out of 100 taking a statin. However, ALL 100 patients suffer the
RISKS of devastating side
effects..

DeeDee

02/29/12

Interesting news. This may well help explain some hyperglycaemic
test results in some otherwise stable non insulin dependant
diabetics . A less worrying scenario than previously considered..

Greg Carrick MS RPh

02/29/12

Just the tip of the iceberg. This is the most dangerous class of drugs we have and
after all of these years of study, they still have not shown cholesterol levels to be
anything more than a marker of normal body function. There are literally millions
of patients living with life altering side effects who will not live one day longer
due to these dangerous drugs. Now that you know to look for these side effects
will you reassess all your newly diagnosed type 2 diabeticS? How about all those
Nemenda Patient? Too bad they didn't mention the transient amnesia or tendon
problems. If they can cause memory loss, what other mental problems do they
cause? Maybe you should evaluate all those newly prescribed anti depressents
and cronic pain meds.
Pharmacist whose life was ruined by lipitor.

Kevin Lamb

03/01/12

Three cheers for
Beverly
Richards-Smith,PHD-
But how can anybody
make money off of
Omega-3,
antioxidants, and
vitamin D3? I
totally agree with
you, just not sure
how we can get the
message across..

Shahadat Hussain

03/03/12

Now the practice of prescribing statin in every diabetic patient as primary prevention will be reduced.

Walker, MD

03/06/12

To what degree do
statin-users become
even more
irresponsible in
voluntarily
consuming a surplus
of sugar and
fat-laden foods?
Could this be a
hidden confounder?
Is this a direct
biochemical effect
or a worsening of an
obvious
sociocultural
behavior that
statin-Rxing docs
promote by the
enabling actions of
'magic pill'
therapy?.

Walker, MD

03/06/12

To what degree do
statin-users become
even more
irresponsible in
voluntarily
consuming a surplus
of sugar and
fat-laden foods?
Could this be a
hidden confounder?
Is this a direct
biochemical effect
or a worsening of an
obvious
sociocultural
behavior that
statin-Rxing docs
promote by the
enabling actions of
'magic pill'
therapy?.

J M

03/07/12

My husband just returned from a visit with his primary physician. I
asked if there was any discussion of this topic, since he is taking
a statin. No--none. Too bad...maybe you could have discussed the
memory lapses you have been having recently?? The many items you
recently lost, my bag of medications you tossed in the trash that
you forgot doing, and other recent events? I thought it was worth
at least a DISCUSSION by the physician. So if the primary docs and
cardiologists are not seeing any problems with these medications--
perhaps it is because they are not looking for them? Patients will
not be likely to make the association between problems they may be
having at home and the possible side effect of a statin..

What is the true influence of statin in the induction of DM2 in patients with X-Syndrom?.
For several years, "I am observing significant increase in cases of DM2 in patients taking statin and no genetic
or morphological profile of risk."
THIS IS A GREAT PROBLEMS AND FDA, NIH & WHO HAVE TO WORK STRONG AND SERIOUSLY.
" IT could be a global epidemic, due to increased statin treatment caused by the epidemic of overweight &
increased levels of lipids in the population"..